On certain passenger vehicles, manual transmission models only, a welded pin internal to the dual-mass flywheel (dmf) assembly can unseat and become lodged between the flywheel and the clutch disc.

Consequence Summary

If this occurs, the clutch may not disengage when the clutch pedal is depressed.

Corrective Summary

Dealers will replace the flywheel and clutch assemblies with the updated design parts. owner notification began on april 14, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact heard a loud humming noise coming from her vehicle. she took the vehicle to a dealer and they stated that the power steering pump failed. power steering fluid leaked out and caused the air conditioner to fail. the unit was replaced at the cost of $1,583. the technician stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v268000 (steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections); therefore, they would not assume financial responsibility for the repair. several weeks after the repair, the air conditioning unit failed again. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions, in which she had to replace the water pump, the throttle body, the radiator, and various components in the powertrain and steering unit. the repairs cost $4,000. typically, the failures immediately recur after the repairs are made. the manufacturer gave her a small reimbursement of $878. the failure mileage was 32,208 and current mileage was 66,500.

01/01/1901

45000

1

2003 chrysler pt cruiser with defected control arm bushings. consumer stated that the bushings are wearing prematurely. *kb the consumer stated he has had problems with the transmission, steering column, front bearing and water pump. *jb

POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

12/11/2009

59000

1

With 59,000 freeway miles, at 65 mph vehicle downshifted abruptly and unexpectedly. vehicle would only lurch along at a slow speed and unable to go into reverse. it had to be towed. transmission overhaul required costing over $2,000 to repair. *tr

07/01/2004

13000

4

03/01/2004

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chrysler pt cruiser. the contact stated that this vehicle had a transmission failure on four occasions while driving 65 mph. the hoses were repaired the first three times and the transmission was replaced the fourth time. during each failure the transmission shifted from low to second gear and then shut off. the mechanics stated that the gears malfunctioned and replaced everything inside the transmission. the current mileage is 61,000, and failure mileage was 13,000.*ak

11/17/2006

35

1

I have a 2003 pt cruiser with 82000 miles on it. in march of 2005 with 47765 miles on it, i took the vehicle to a chrysler dealer to repair a vibration while braking. the chrysler dealer noted there was a grinding noise coming from the transmission and stated the compressor was rubbing against the front frame due to some kind of collision and stated there was a broken motor mount. we took the vehicle to the dealer where we purchased the vehicle to address this diagnosis since this was a new vehicle when we purchased it. the dealer claims they found no broken motor mounts, no signs of accident and did not even address the transmission noise. on 11/17/2006 i was traveling on a two lane highway with my 3 year old daughter at night, and without warning,noise, hesitation, or lack of power, my transmission went out. i was not able to move in any gear. the vehicle was towed to the dealership where i purchased it and they told me it has major transmission damage and the transmission needs to be replaced. the cost of the transmission replacement is $2715.00 and the dealer will not cover any of the cost. *jb

08/20/2006

56414

1

04/22/2003

2003 chrysler pt cruiser vehicle with an automatic transmission with 56,414 miles on it began lurching when accelerating or slowing down on interstate. problem started with no prior warning of transmission problems. vehicle later died in the middle of a side street. could not get vehicle to move in any gear, and check engine light came on and stayed on. finally got vehicle to limp around the corner in drive, then vehicle died. no transmission fluid found in reservoir. fluid noted on ground under vehicle. had to tow vehicle 30 miles to dealership, who could not repair it after three days of waiting, due to lack of transmission service technician. vehicle was ultimately repaired at aamco transmission, requiring another 20 mile tow. vehicle had to have transmission replaced. total cost of repairs was $2222.73 between chrysler dealership and aamco transmission - not covered under warranty which ran out at 36000 miles. *jb

07/13/2006

77566

2

01/01/2004

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on a highway on-ramp, the transmission seized up stalling the vehicle. the vehicle had to be towed to a repair facility. also, the seat belt buckle constantly failed to remain secure. the vehicle was towed to an independent transmission shop for service. the manufacturer was notified, but the service dealer was not. updated 10/25/2006 - the tech found that the transmission gears had slowly been grinding away, throwing metal shavings into the converter and the pump. *nm

07/13/2006

77500

2

01/01/2004

I have a 2003 pt cruiser that just went out of power train warranty 7k miles ago-with no warning, no hesitation, lack of power, my transmission went out taking the converter, pump and torque converter-leaving me stranded in the middle of a busy intersection! i was not able to move in 1,2,3,d or r-now i am stuck with a $2643.50 bill. my right front tire constantly vibrates, been to shop numerous time to resolve but no body can find anything-tires are fine, cv joint, nothing can be found. i am absolutely terrified to drive this car anymore-my seat belt unbuckles by itself, possibly leaving me with no restraint in the possibility of a wreck. i am filing complaints with chrysler, bbb, district attorneys office, nhts, lemon law and anything else i can find- *nm

03/28/2006

1000

12

04/18/2003

I have a 2003 pt cruiser with about 30,800 miles on it. this car when stopped in gear and your foot on the break suddenly goes into gear and it takes two feet on the break pad to hold it. this only lasts about 3 seconds and then stops. on 03-28-06 i was dropping off my daughter and as she went to cross in front of this car it jumped into gear and i almost hit my daughter. i took it to the local dealership and told them about this problem. they said they did a road test and drb test and showed no codes. they said wait until it gets more regular and bring it back in. i did email chrysler corp. on this and have not heard back from them yet. i don't feel this car is safe to drive until this get fixed. it seams they could rebuild the transmission instead of waiting for me to run someone over. my 3 year/36,000 will be up sometime this april. i don't feel its fare for me to wait till it gets worse and then dig me $1500.00 to rebuild the transmission especial after it has been brought to chrysler attention during the warranty period. very frustrated right now with all this. *nm

05/06/2005

1

Automatic transmission went out after 42,000 miles, mostly highway miles.

12/05/2003

5

While driving at any speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. the driver tried to restart the vehicle and was able to do so. the driver noticed that the vehicle did not accelerate over 60 mph. while driving 60 mph, the driver applied the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection numerous time. however, the mechanic can not duplicate the problem. please provide further details.

03/04/2004

489

1

02/05/2004

2003 pt cruiser gt turbo, bought new in 2004 with 400mills on it. transmission will lag when down shifting from 2nd to 1st gear. also, all lights will dim when braking or windows are brought down. dealer said. theres nothing they could do for the dimming lights. for the transmission down shifting lag, the dealer corrected output speed sensor connection. i'm still have the problem and in stop and go trafic i noticed when the vehcile was down shifting the radio stoped working and the lights dimmed for a second. dealer said to wait to see if it does it again before repair.*ak

01/05/2004

23000

1

While driving 70 mph automatic transmission failed. *ak

01/01/2002

3

12/01/2002

While driving at any speed the transmission decelerated even when the consumers foot was on the accelerator it was difficult for the consumer to control vehicle. *ak the transmission leaked fluid. the dealer continued to fix the hoses. *scc *jb

06/14/2003

14000

3

10/13/2002

I bought my 2003 pt cruiser turbo oct 13th 2002, in feb 2003 i took it in for service because i had noticed red fluid leaking . i was alarmed 2 c atf leaking from a car with less than 9,000 miles on it. anyway i took it in & they replaced the seal & bearing on the left side. on may 28th i took it to a bodyshop 2 get ghost flames painted on it. june 12th came along and they called me to come see the car finished. it took my breath away. i proudly approved of the work they could then buff and detailed it. on june 14th after being buffed out the car was being driven to the detail shop on the freeway when all of a sudden the front left tire seized up and threw the car across 4 lanes of traffic and into an embankment where it came to rest.the driver got out of the car after collecting himself. the front left wheel was broken off, fluid everywhere. utah highway patrol impounded the car until i could be notified. i got the call from the bodyshop owner, he took full responsability and was willing to do whatever to make my car new again. upon investigating the damage he noticed that the left front axle would not come out of the transmission. he littrially had to take the right side apart and use a bar to pound out the left side. he got 2 second opinions before calling me 2 tell me that the axil had seized 2 the bearing inside of the tranny. he suggested that i call the dealer. finially on the 23rd of june the dealer came and got my car where it is still sitting up till this current day. they found $5500.00 worth of damage to the transmission/axle and such. they called a accident investagator that showed up july 2nd. i took him to the accident site where after 3 weeks you could still see the skid marks. the investigator gathered all his information and went back to chrysler. i have call nearly everyday. i have just found out that my file is in their legal department. no one is talking. now 2 wait and see what chrysler is going to do. *ak

The local dealer thought that the sound from the engine was that the turbo was blown. after 2.5 weeks they then determined that the transmission pump had gone bad along with some sort of sensors. so then for the next 2 weeks plus they worked on that problem. four days laterafter getting the car back, the front axle fell off the car!!!!! if i would have been on the freeway or traveling on a surface street, i or possibly others could have been killed and the manufacturer will only repair under warranty???!! i've now been waiting another 2.4 weeks for the car and i try telling them that it is unsafe and i'm afraid to get back into the car. it has 7,777 mile on a chrysler pt cruiser 2003. it has spent almost 8 weeks of it's short life in repair shop for one thing or another, and no one at chrysler will listen or help, they keep saying the dm has made his decision, yeah with the service manager covering up for his mechanic. the mechanic admitted to me that he over tighten the bolts when he put my front end back together, and never even apologized for the oversight!!! if possible, i know the records don't really show all the work performed or a list of any parts replaced (at least not on my copies anyway), but could someone help me, please!!!??? thank you for your time pastor jim jaros ps i keep telling them (chrysler in auburn hill, mi 800-992-1997) that their name and reputation are the most important things you have, and they tell me that i'll have to sue through the lemon law in my state. yeah, i'm believin' i'm gonna stay alive to talk see that through, but i'm going to be parking that pt cruiser if and when it's ready!!! would you put your wife and family in this car? the mechanic or the service underwriter just walk away and the service manager still has not returned my phone calls, i'm forced to call through chrysler in mi to get the answers. i will ask them to save the parts if possible?*ak

POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT

06/14/2003

14000

3

10/13/2002

I bought my 2003 pt cruiser turbo oct 13th 2002, in feb 2003 i took it in for service because i had noticed red fluid leaking . i was alarmed 2 c atf leaking from a car with less than 9,000 miles on it. anyway i took it in & they replaced the seal & bearing on the left side. on may 28th i took it to a bodyshop 2 get ghost flames painted on it. june 12th came along and they called me to come see the car finished. it took my breath away. i proudly approved of the work they could then buff and detailed it. on june 14th after being buffed out the car was being driven to the detail shop on the freeway when all of a sudden the front left tire seized up and threw the car across 4 lanes of traffic and into an embankment where it came to rest.the driver got out of the car after collecting himself. the front left wheel was broken off, fluid everywhere. utah highway patrol impounded the car until i could be notified. i got the call from the bodyshop owner, he took full responsability and was willing to do whatever to make my car new again. upon investigating the damage he noticed that the left front axle would not come out of the transmission. he littrially had to take the right side apart and use a bar to pound out the left side. he got 2 second opinions before calling me 2 tell me that the axil had seized 2 the bearing inside of the tranny. he suggested that i call the dealer. finially on the 23rd of june the dealer came and got my car where it is still sitting up till this current day. they found $5500.00 worth of damage to the transmission/axle and such. they called a accident investagator that showed up july 2nd. i took him to the accident site where after 3 weeks you could still see the skid marks. the investigator gathered all his information and went back to chrysler. i have call nearly everyday. i have just found out that my file is in their legal department. no one is talking. now 2 wait and see what chrysler is going to do. *ak

POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL

07/23/2004

7777

12

06/28/2003

The local dealer thought that the sound from the engine was that the turbo was blown. after 2.5 weeks they then determined that the transmission pump had gone bad along with some sort of sensors. so then for the next 2 weeks plus they worked on that problem. four days laterafter getting the car back, the front axle fell off the car!!!!! if i would have been on the freeway or traveling on a surface street, i or possibly others could have been killed and the manufacturer will only repair under warranty???!! i've now been waiting another 2.4 weeks for the car and i try telling them that it is unsafe and i'm afraid to get back into the car. it has 7,777 mile on a chrysler pt cruiser 2003. it has spent almost 8 weeks of it's short life in repair shop for one thing or another, and no one at chrysler will listen or help, they keep saying the dm has made his decision, yeah with the service manager covering up for his mechanic. the mechanic admitted to me that he over tighten the bolts when he put my front end back together, and never even apologized for the oversight!!! if possible, i know the records don't really show all the work performed or a list of any parts replaced (at least not on my copies anyway), but could someone help me, please!!!??? thank you for your time pastor jim jaros ps i keep telling them (chrysler in auburn hill, mi 800-992-1997) that their name and reputation are the most important things you have, and they tell me that i'll have to sue through the lemon law in my state. yeah, i'm believin' i'm gonna stay alive to talk see that through, but i'm going to be parking that pt cruiser if and when it's ready!!! would you put your wife and family in this car? the mechanic or the service underwriter just walk away and the service manager still has not returned my phone calls, i'm forced to call through chrysler in mi to get the answers. i will ask them to save the parts if possible?*ak

POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

09/22/2006

65102

1

01/30/2003

Dt*: the contact stated when the clutch was engaged at any speed, the transmission did not shift into gear effectively. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who was unable to determine the problem. the vehicle was subsequently taken to a private repair shop, who determined that the clutch assembly had come apart. there was a nhtsa recall# 03v076000, which pertained to the clutch assembly. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin.

06/07/2006

30186

5

2003 pt cruiser clutch does not disengage. *ts the clutch would not disengage and as a result the vehicle jump backwards about 6 feet in the consumer's driveway. the flywheel and clutch assembly were recalled, recall 03v076000. the consumer continue to have clutch problem after the recall repairs were made. the vehicle has been take to three different dealers on four different occasions. the transmission has been pulled out of the vehicle three times. *nm

Consumer has been experiencing problems with the 2003 turbo charged chrysler pt cruiser. clutch when depressed to start the vehicle it feels like it does not have any pressure and drops to the floorboard. *ts the mechanic replaced portions of the clutch. *jb *nm

01/22/2005

37270

3

04/29/2003

2003 pt cruiser gt purchased brand new april 29, 2003. clutch has failed 3 times over 10 consecutive months. march 8, 2004 mileage ? 19,842: driving home at night entered onto the 60 fwy east the clutch goes out on the freeway in traffic! have truck towed to jammin dodge chrysler that night. the car is almost 12 months old! march 12, 2004 removed and replaced clutch module assembly. car picked up. december 17, 2004 mileage ? 35,930: this is just 9 months after the clutch was first repaired! clutch goes out. while attempting to start the car; it launched forward because it was in first gear. it misses the concrete walkway to my office building by less than a

03/04/2004

12300

3

03/01/2003

2003 chrysler pt cruiser 5 speed turbo: on 3 occasions, with the clutch in the car lunged forward upon ignition. 1st incident around 12,000 miles then again a few hundred miles later twice. the dealership is not familiar with this problem & not too motivated to fix it. what do i do now? *ak

06/05/2003

1

05/23/2003

Nhtsa#03-v-076-000:on certain passenger vehicles, manual transmission models only, a welded pin internal to the dual-mass flywheel (dmf) assembly can unseat and become lodged between the flywheel and the clutch disc. the consumer purchased the vehicle on may 23/2003 and on may 25/2003 the clutch assembly failed. *jb

02/07/2003

4000

1

01/29/2003

The vehicle would suddenly accelerate while stopped at a light or a stop sign. the recalled clutch assembly was replaced. *nlm *nlm

POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION

08/18/2011

67000

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 chrysler pt cruiser. the vehicle was previously included in nhtsa campaign id number: 03v076000 (power train:clutch assembly) and was repaired prior to the contact having ownership of the vehicle. while driving approximately 30 mph, the the contact was unable to switch gears. the contact was depressing the clutch when he noticed that the gear shifter was fractured. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the clutch assembly and the shifter cable would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000. kmj

08/18/2011

67000

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 chrysler pt cruiser. the vehicle was previously included in nhtsa campaign id number: 03v076000 (power train:clutch assembly) and was repaired prior to the contact having ownership of the vehicle. while driving approximately 30 mph, the the contact was unable to switch gears. the contact was depressing the clutch when he noticed that the gear shifter was fractured. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the clutch assembly and the shifter cable would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000. kmj

08/18/2011

67000

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 chrysler pt cruiser. the vehicle was previously included in the recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 03v076000 vehicle (power train:clutch assembly) and was repaired prior to the contact having ownership of the vehicle. while driving at approximately 30 mph the the contact was unable to switch gears. the contact was depressing the clutch when he noticed gear shifter had fractured. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the clutch assembly and the shifter cable would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000. ds

10/21/2005

59712

1

01/22/2003

My 2003 chrysler pt cruiser, gt model, has had problems since i have had it. first, the engine light came on and they replaced a hose, then it came on again, and they said they didn't know what was wrong with, and they would have to wait until it went completely out. it did, at 28,000 miles, it was the turbo charger. secondly, the airbag malfunctioned, they had to replace the seat, took three times to get the right seat. third, now, i would put the car in drive or reverse, and it just sit there, then jerks into gear. sometimes if you give it gas it would just rev up. they said it was the pump in the transmission, they took 4 plus days to replace it. when i picked it up i heard a noise and smell something burning. when i took it out there they didn't hear or smell anything so i was sent on my way. then it started doing the same thing it did when you put it in reverse or drive. i took it in, he said it needed a battery. i put a diehard battery in it, but sears said that was not the problem. then the check the engine light came on, they said it was the evac pump. they fixed that. they claimed that was not covered under the warranty i had when i brought it in two weeks before. now, i hear a grinding when i start the car up, someone said it sounds like the flywheel and they didn't assemble the transmission correctly, and that was probably where the burning smell was coming from. i am taking it in to the shop today for this. *nm

09/09/2005

1

03/31/2003

I have taken my pt cruiser into dealer 10-12 times for problems that they are unable to correct. there have been parts loose that needed to be tightened, such as belts, hoses, connections and interior parts that have fallen off the car and dealer does not know how to fix. i submitted a complaint to manufacturer and applied for lemon law, but chrysler representative did not listen and took dealer side. they claim they cannot duplicate noises, but i recently found out the shop supervisor who has been checking out my car for the noises has a severe hearing loss and a claim against insurance company for hearing problems. there are high pitch whining noises, squeals and loud screeching noises coming from the engine compartment. the car loses power and seems to hesitate at freeway speeds. there is also a noise that sounds like a train whistle in the distance. i have heard popping sounds in the front end and squealing and screeching sounds from the brakes and under hood is constant. there is also a noise that is heard sometimes in steering and turning. the dealer told me they would replace the power steering unit to see if it would solve the problems and ordered the part. when i took the car in for the service, they said they could not duplicate the noise again and did not do anything. when i step on the brakes the noise is so loud it can be heard for a long distance. it sounds like cars being crushed. the noise is also present in turning corners and driving, but worse in stepping on brakes. the dealer acknowledges a brake problem but say they do not know how to fix it. there have been other problems such as radio/cd player did not work when new, sensor light replaced, rattles under dash, check engine light, etc, but the noises and in-ablility to repair have me worried about serious problems. they hear the noise, but then tell me the mechanic cannot duplicate and do nothing to repair. this has been an ongoing problem since i got the vehicle in 2003. *jb

09/01/2004

11900

1

The transmission failed. a piece of the clutch broke off in the housing. per the dealer. *jb the consumer has not heard anything from chrysler and would like to know the next step he needs to take. *tc

09/13/2004

2

03/01/2003

Consumer's vehicle experienced the same problem as stated in nhtsa recall 03v076000: on certain passenger vehicles, manual transmission models only, a welded pin internal to the dual-mass flywheel (dmf) assembly can unseat and become lodged between the flywheel and the clutch disc. the dealership indicated this vehicle was not part of the recall due to vin. *ak *tc